upcoming surgery

Hi Deborah...and Welcome.  You've come to the right place.

Lots of experience between us all on here.

I had my right TKR in Dec 2012, and my left TKR in Sept 2014.

I'll be honest that I struggled with both, but after my first TKR my still-to-be done knee wasn't that bad...only a bit sore if I'd been on my feet for a few hours.

TKR is hard work and you will have pain to work through, but it will be worth it in the end.  At about 6-8 weeks you should be doing much better...but everyone (and every knee) is different.

Keep in touch on here and ask for help and advice when you need it.

Patsy

Don't let anything or anybody keep you from focusing on the fact that you will soon be able to move better than you have for years!

I am four weeks out from my left knee total knee replacement and am back enjoying my garden, laying in my HAMMOCK, and anxiously awaiting the birth of our first grandchild!

Yes, there will be pain, but the nurses are VERY GOOD at helping you manage it. No doubt your knee has been hurting for a good while. You decided as so many of have decided that you were sick and tired of not being able to do things you USED to do. This will be a temporary inconvenience but a defininite improvement.

My right knee gets replaced as soon as Doc decides my LEFT KNEE is up to the task of being "MY GOOD KNEE!" I am definitely looking forward to that!

Good luck Deborah. I'm at just over 6 weeks and am a long way from stopping hating my surgeon! I saw him yesterday and he equated it with childbirth and said 12 months from now!! I'm also due for the 2nd but hope to delay for some time yet. Some days the favouring of the TKR side makes the other one worse but I will hang off for as long as possible! It does get better in fits and starts I find. One day will be better than the next. You'll get there though and we are all here to support each other on our recoveries. 

Hi Deborah

Welcome to the forum where you will find loads of people that have been through what you are about to go through.

i am going to give you a list of things that may be of help before your op.

Do as much exercise as possible to strengthen your muscles.

Get a leg lifter or sling that goes around your foot, that helps to lift your foot up and down, this was a godsend to me, this will help you after your op.

Get a bag to go over your shoulder to carry from one room to another as it's difficult to carry anything if you are on sticks.

you will need to drink plenty so I bought some small water bottles and put them in the fridge, these were easier to carry than a glass of water.

If you can get a toilet raiser, this will help you.

I made a load of ready cooked meals and put them in the freezer so it was a  case of just pinging them in the freezer.

I also made a large batch of home made soup as you don't fancy a lot when you first get home, and put them in the freezer.

Put a small table where you are going to sit, to put everything you need on it.

People who have tkr don't sleep very well and I was up at all times of the night and I wished that I had splashed out on a recliner chair, I'm having my other knee done in November so have bought myself one, but should have got one before my op.

Gel packs that you can get from Amazon, if you can afford two, then do so and get the ones that come with their own little cover, these go in the freezer and I know you can use frozen peas, it's just my preference to use the gel packs.

Get a large bandage to go around the gel pack and your knee, this way the gel pack stays in place.

Kelo - Cote or bio oil to help with the scar, I used Kelo Cote as that is what plastic surgeons use here, but again it's your preference.

Foam roll, it's like a long thick sausage, to help roll it back and forth, this will help with exercises at home.

When you have your op then it's a case of making sure you take your meds regularly, ice, ice and more ice, drink water by the bucketful, exercise and rest, sleep when you need to sleep forget about the normal times of sleep, and don't worry about the housework, you need to put yourself first, everything else can wait

I learned as I went along, I wished I had known about the forum befor my op.

I wish you well for your operation, we are here for you.

Take care, gillian tkr 9 weeks ago operation done in Riyadh.

Hi Deborah

sorry, meant to say pinging ready cooked meals in the microwave not the freezer......ah dumb blonde day

Hi Deborah, I'm 11 was post tkr and couldn't rely on my other leg at all because it is weak and wasted due to my having polio as a child. I must say that the first few days were very difficult but then I found I was using my operated leg as my strong leg . I think this helped me with my recovery . I drove again at 6wks, could use an exercise bike at 3wks at Physio  and generally progressed very well. I still exercise, ice and elevate regularly and try to drink lots of water too. 

Good luck with your op. Hopefully on that day I shall be in sunny Spain enjoying the beach and pool.(Not to mention the sangria🍷😎🍷

I can only tell you of my own experience.

I had left TKR 3 years ago.

I also have bad osteoarthritis in my right ankle.

Since my left knee has been replaced my right ankle has also improved.

I think this is simply because I am distributing my weight differently.

So if your left knee is being replaced, that will cause you less pain so you will be able eventually to put more weight on it and less weight on your right knee so that may improve as well.

Hope you understand what I am saying .

I have been lucky to have an excellent consultant who has done a really good job. It is like having my life back.

Good luck with the op.

Take care and keep in touch.

Love Sarah xxx

It will be more difficult if your other knee is bad too, but some people actually have both done at once - not that I am recommending it, but just to show it is possible to recover without a good knee to do all the work.  My non-operated knee has got quite a bit worse over the past year, because it was doing a lot of extra work even before I had the replacement and then of course during recovery.  But you can take full weight on your new knee - it's perfectly solid - it is mainly the bending and stretching that take work. Also you would just rely on a walker and then a cane maybe for longer than someone who had a good other knee. I think by the time we get to TKR with one, most of us have problems with the other already.

Another tip is to freeze a bottle of water (as alcohol is such a waste) and put it or your foot in a sock and roll your foot forward and back it helps with the circulation and the bend if your knee but again don't beat yourself up with bends it will get there in the end

Thank you all for your words of advice.  The surgery is coming up in 3 weeks so I'm getting a bit nervous but ready to have it done as the knee is only getting worse as time goes by.  My husband is staying home the first 10 days and then my daughter is coming in from DC for a week to be with me.  I feel so cared for!